Women and Islam

The complex relationship between women and Islam is shown by both Islamic texts and the history and culture of the Muslim world. Islamic scholars maintain that the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, affirms women's religious and moral equality.

However, sharia (Islamic law) shows the marked differences between women's and men's roles, rights, and obligations, and many Muslim-majority countries give women different rights than men with regard to marriage, divorce, civil rights, legal status, dress code, and education.